SAN DIEGO — One month into the Don Mattingly Era, a lot has gone right for the Phillies.
They are winning behind high-end starting pitching, timely hitting and enough power to make up for an offense that still has real holes.
Under Mattingly, they are 20-8. Tuesday marked the one-third point of the season, a fair checkpoint for any team that expects to contend.
The Phillies are 29-27, one game back of the final National League Wild Card spot and in second place in the NL East, eight games behind the Braves.
That is a much better place than they were a month ago.
It is also not enough to make the roster look complete.
A common criticism of the Phillies’ offseason was that they did not change enough. That was easier to defend after back-to-back 95-plus win seasons. It became harder after a 9-19 start. And even with the recent turnaround, one area still looks like it needs outside help.
The outfield.
More specifically, a right-handed-hitting outfielder.
Again.
Over the last two seasons, the Phillies have made deadline deals for one. Austin Hays came from Baltimore in 2024. Harrison Bader came from Minnesota in 2025.
That need has not disappeared.
It shows up in the Phillies’ broader right-handed hitting problem. Their right-handed bats have produced the lowest batting average in the Majors (.207), the second-lowest on-base percentage (.270), the lowest slugging percentage (.315) and the lowest OPS (.585).
Through 56 games, that is the second-lowest batting average by Phillies right-handed hitters in franchise history.
There are pieces of that group you can reasonably expect to improve.
Trea Turner, last year’s batting champion, has homered in consecutive games. Alec Bohm has nearly doubled his OPS from March and April into May, posting an .843 OPS this month. J.T. Realmuto is coming off a better stretch, batting .385 over his last 15 plate appearances.
That trio has still combined for just a .621 OPS, but the Phillies have reason to be confident all three to move closer to their career norms by midseason.
The tougher question is Adolis García.
The Phillies’ one-year prove-it addition has hit .201 with a .599 OPS and 12 extra-base hits in 55 games. Over his last 15, he is 3-for-44, slashing .068/.222/.091.
That is not playable at this pace, even with the defense.
García has appeared in 55 of the Phillies’ first 56 games. He has been excellent in right field by the metrics, but the Phillies need more from that spot. They need a dependable middle-of-the-order right-handed bat who changes how opposing managers pitch around Kyle Schwarber, Bryce Harper and even Brandon Marsh.
What an UNREAL throw from Adolis Garcia to get Nico Hoerner at third base for the second out of the inning.
The defense does matter, but there has been a caveat.
The Phillies were willing to run Felix Reyes in left field for stretches recently. Mattingly also acknowledged the club does not currently “have” an offensive upgrade over García internally.
That says enough.
If the Phillies do not have one inside the organization, they will eventually have to look outside it.
They may not be able to wait until the deadline.
One logical rental fit is Baltimore’s Taylor Ward, whom the Phillies reportedly had interest in during the offseason. Ward was traded from the Angels to the Orioles over the winter and has one year of control remaining after this season.
In 2025, Ward hit 36 homers and drove in 103 runs, both career highs.
This year, the power has dipped some. He has 17 extra-base hits in 55 games, but his .749 OPS would still be 164 points higher than the Phillies’ current right-handed mark.
The appeal is not just the power.
Ward entered Wednesday with 48 walks against 52 strikeouts, the third-highest walk total in baseball. He also owns the lowest chase rate in the Majors at 11.2 percent. Trent Grisham ranks second at 16.2 percent.
Ward is not a strong defender. He would likely play left field, which would force the Phillies to play rookie Justin Crawford in center and Brandon Marsh in right.
It is not a perfect fit. But perfect fits are hard to find at the end of May.
The Phillies’ right-handed bats have been even worse when they should hold the platoon advantage. Against left-handed pitching, Phillies right-handed hitters have a .614 OPS, the lowest mark by Phillies righty group against lefties since the split began being tracked in 1974.
They are simply not getting on base enough.
Ward owns a .409 on-base percentage against left-handed pitching.
Baltimore sits 9.5 games back in the division. If that does not change over the next month, Ward should become available.
He would be another short-term fix.
Maybe they should think bigger.
At last year’s deadline, the Phillies made two deals with Minnesota. One brought in Bader. The other brought in closer Jhoan Duran.
The Phillies Talk podcast discusses what grade they would give the Phillies after acquiring Jhoan Duran and Harrison Bader before the 2025 MLB trade deadline.
The Phillies may not have the same prospect capital they did a year ago, but Byron Buxton is the type of swing that could change the look of the lineup. He has a no-trade clause, which would have to be waived, and he is owed a little more than $15 million in each of the next two seasons.
This year, Buxton has hit 17 homers with an .898 OPS. His 19.3 percent barrel rate is a career high and ranks in the top three percent of hitters. He remains one of the fastest players in baseball, ranking in the 98th percentile in sprint speed, and he is still a strong outfielder when healthy enough to play there regularly.
There is familiarity, too. Buxton spent time with Harper, Schwarber and Brad Keller on Team USA during the World Baseball Classic.
The Twins are under .500 and could drift further out by the deadline. If that happens, the Phillies should at least explore how aggressive they can realistically be.
There is another, more creative path.
If the Phillies are willing to absorb money into next season — especially with labor uncertainty looming after 2026 — their options expand.
One name worth considering is Houston first baseman Christian Walker.
Think back to last season. When the Phillies were connected to Eugenio Suárez, Harper reportedly would have been open to moving back to the outfield if it meant adding the right bat.
Walker, a Norristown native, qualifies as that kind of bat.
He has bounced back in a big way this season, slugging .519 with an .849 OPS while ranking third in the American League in RBIs. He is owed $20 million next season, but with the way the Phillies’ roster is trending — and how dominant the front of the rotation looks — they should be willing to think aggressively.
Houston is 25-32. If the Astros do not climb back into the AL West race, Walker becomes a realistic situation to monitor.
The Phillies have plenty working right now, though.
The front of the rotation has been dominant. Their left-handed bats have carried stretches of the offense. Jhoan Duran gives them a true anchor at the back of the bullpen. Mattingly has helped steady a team that looked lost in April.
But the right-handed hitting problem has not gone away.
Neither has the outfield question.
